Earring clasp



July 22, 1969 M. LOVE EARRING CLASP Filed May 21, 1968 e m m V m M/Cl-IAEL LOVE ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent U.S. Cl. 24252 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSUREThis clasp comprises two members which project rearwardly from an objectsuch as an earring, these projecting members including aligned aperturesin them and also including opposite, inwardly inclined edge portions.There is also a resilient wire member having two parallel intermediateportions connected at right angles to two free ends of the wire whichare disposed in the apertures in the projecting members. At the otherend of the parallel intermediate portions there is a broadened portionconnected thereto for engaging the object to which the clasp is to beattached. When the intermediate portions are pivoted forward toward theearring, just past the inclined portions they snap away from one anotherdue to their natural resilience and are maintained in a locking positionby their lateral pressure against the forward parts of the edges of theprojecting members. When they are pushed backward past the oppositeinclined portions they snap outwardly due to their resilience intonotches formed in the edges of the projecting members located justbehind the inclined portions.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention This inventionrelates to clasps and in particular to a clasp for securing an earringto the human ear.

Prior art There have been many types of earring clamps or clasps. Someof them include pin-like members which pass through a perforation in theear lobe. When the lobe is not pierced, a variety of clasps have beenused. Some involve screwing a pressure member gradually from behind theear toward the other side of the lobe until adequate pressure isachieved. This is a relatively costly and uncomfortable method ofsecuring earrings to ears.

Another earring clasp has employed three or more parts including aseparate spring for biasing the rear lobe pressure member forwardagainst the back of the ear lobe.

Still another device involves a pivoting U member which, as it isbrought closer to the rear side of the ear lobe, encounters increasingfrictional resistance as it slides against the outer surfaces of anarcuate and resilient bifurcated member.

In all of these clasps, there has either been the necessity for aseparate spring-biasing member or for positive detent action.Furthermore, many of these prior art clasps are relatively expensive tomanufacture when the needs of the mass costume-jewelry market are takeninto account.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This earring clasp is a two part assembly andincludes (1) a set of rigid members which project perpendicularly fromthe rear of the earring and have two aligned apertures formed thereinand (2) a resilient pivoting wire member having two intermediatesubstantially parallel portions, the intermediate portions beingconnected at respective ends to free coaxial terminal portions of wirewhich extend at right angles outwardly therefrom. These ice terminalsportions are disposed in the aligned apertures in the projectingmembers. The other ends of the parallel intermediate members are joinedby a lobe-engaging portion of the wire. Opposite portions of the edgesof the projecting members incline toward one another and cause theintermediate portions of the wire to flex inwardly when the wire memberis pivoted from its ear-engaging to its open position and vice versa.Notches formed on opposite sides in the edges adjacent the inclinedportions enable the intermediate portions of the wire to snap laterallyoutward when the wire member is pivoted backward just past the inclinedportions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of theclasp assembly according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a rear elevation view of the clasp assembly according to thepresent invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the clasp shown in FIG. 2 taken along thesection line 3-3 in the direction indicated and in closed position.

FIG. 4 is another sectional view of the clasp shown in FIG. 2 but shownin the open position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Referring now to FIGS. l-4 there isshown generally at the numeral 10 the clasp assembly which comprises arigid portion indicated generally at the numeral 13 and a pivoting wiremember indicated generally at the numeral 14.

The rigid member 13 includes a substantially planar portion 131: whichis fixed to any desired object for mounting, such as an earring depictedschematically at the numeral 11. The rigid member 13 also includes tworearwardly projecting portions 13b and 130. The ortion includes anaperture 13 formed therein which is aligned with the correspondingaperture 13k in the portion 13b.

The wire member 14 includes opposite intermediate portions 14d and 14ewhich run from the ear lobe engaging portion 14a to the terminal ends14hv and14i. The free ends 14h and 14i of the wire member 14 aredisposed substantially at right angles to the intermediate wire portions14d and 14e respectively. The intermediate portions 14d and 14e arethemselves each made up of two sections, i.e. 14c, 14g, and 14b, 14which are bent at right angles to one another. The run of wire 14a isintended to press against the inner surface of the ear lobe.

The member 13 also includes the rearwardly projecting portions 13band13c whose edges are designed to im pel the wire member 14 either intoa pressurized contact with the ear lobe or into an open detentedposition. When the wire member 14 is inserted with its free ends 14h and141 in the apertures 13 and 13k, the intermediate portions 14d and 14eare pinched together somewhat and the portions 14 and 14g tend to berestrained in their natural outward pressure (i.e., away from oneanother) by the projections 13b and 130 respectively. As the wire member14 is pivoted backward out of the closed position shown in FIGS. 1, 2and 3, the wire portions 14] and 14g will tend to be urged even furtherinward by the edges 13d and 13e. When the portions 14 and 14g pass alongthe inwardly inclined portions 13] and 13g they will be urged evenfurther toward one another. As soon as the portions 14f, and 14g havebeen pivoted past contact with the inclined portions 13 and 13g, i.e.when the portions 14 and 14g are just about to engage the notches 13hand 13i, their natural outward lateral bias due to their compression(during their previous backward movement) will cause the portions 14;and 14g to snap outwardly into these notches as shown 3 in FIG. 4 sothat they are detented to a definite open position.

When the clasp is to be closed over an ear lobe, the opposite pivotalmovement of the wire member 14 takes place. First the portions 14 14gare moved out of the notches 1311 and 131', then they pass along theedges 13) and 13g. Finally, there will be a certain acceleration towardthe closed position by virtue of the lateral pressure of the portions 14and 14g against the downwardly sloping edges 13d and 13a. This finalmovement is limited only by the thickness of the lobe interposed betweenthe earring 11 and the earlobe-engaging portion 14a.

It is thus seen that the present invention consists of an extremelysimple mechanism which provides a detented rear or open position and anadjustable closed position for various widths of ear lobes, the lateralpressure exerted by the intermediate portions 14 and 14g against theedges 13d and 132 tending to maintain the portion 14a in pressurizedcontact against the inner surface of the ear lobe.

I claim:

1. A clasp comprising:

(a) a resilient wire member including (i) two intermediate portionsdisposed substantially parallel to one another,

(ii) two substantially coaxial free end portions of said wire memberwhich respectively extend outwardly and substantially perpendicular tosaid intermediate portions at respective ends thereof and (iii) aportion connected to the other ends of said intermediate portions forpressing against a predetermined object, and

(b) a pair of substantially parallel, rigid members which are fixed toan extend substantially perpendicularly from a mounting member, saidrigid members having aligned apertures formed therein in which said twofree ends of said wire member are movably disposed thereby enabling saidwire member to pivot therein, said rigid members also including oppositeportions of the edges thereof which are inclined inwardly toward oneanother, said opposite portions being constructed to cause saidintermediate wire portions to flex toward one another when said wiremember is moved forward pivotally along and against said oppositeportions.

2. The clasp according to claim 1 wherein said aligned apertures areboth substantially elliptical in shape.

3. The clasp according to claim 1 wherein said (a) (iii) portion flaresoutwardly from the other ends of said intermediate portions.

4. The clasp according to claim 1 wherein each of said (a) (i)intermediate portions is formed of two contiguous sections disposedsubstantially at right angles to another.

5. The clasp according to claim 1 wherein said rigid members areattached perpendicularly to a substantially fiat base which is fixed tosaid mounting member, wherein said mounting member is an earring, andwherein said (a) (iii) portion is connected at an angle to the otherends of said intermediate wire portions.

6. The clasp according to claim 5 wherein said notches have asubstantially V-shaped configuration and wherein said notches arecontiguous to said opposite edge portions.

7. The clasp according to claim 6 wherein said notches are somewhatinclined inwardly toward one another.

8. The clasp according to claim 1 wherein said rigid members alsoinclude positions rearward of said opposite portions for holding saidintermediate wire portions in a detented position when they have beenmoved pivotally backwards away from said opposite portions.

9. The clasp according to claim 8 wherein said rearward portionscomprise notches formed in said edges which engage said intermediatewire portions when said intermediate wire portions have been pivotedbackwardly away from said opposite portions whereupon their naturalresilience impels them laterally away from one another.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,564,435 8/1941 Hubbcll 242522,633,615 4/1953 Donovan 24252 X FOREIGN PATENTS 910,773 2/ 1946 France.522,262 6/ 1940 Great Britain. 598,208 2/ 1948 Great Britain.

DONALD A. GRIFFIN, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R.

